Jim Blume

Click on this link and in the Search block type in "Mount Rushmore". Should pop right up. Scroll Saw Workshop Catalog (stevedgood.com)

Great job. I have cut that pattern many times but always in hardwoods, cherry or maple. The cost of wood has skyrocketed to the point where I will have to start cutting it out of 1/8" BB if I get any more orders. As to that subflooring ply, I have had good results with that when I was out of BB, but now and again you might find some voids. Again, Great Job.

I have one, but it was a gift from a friend who is a cabinet maker. He thought it would be good for making repetitive marks as he worked but then refused to convert his measurements to metric, so he uses a square which has holes in it at various points. Marked in inches is a big plus he says. LOL. . It is unique and it was a gift, so it hangs out in a drawer in one of my roll-a-rounds, which is full of all sorts of other cool but seldom if ever used items. I also have one of these and use it all the time. INCRA Precision T-Rules | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

The coolest thing about giving things to special folks is that you will always remember the looks on their faces. The folks who buy things from you, not so much. So Happy for you man.

Awesome workmanship.

There are many of my patterns in the pattern files though I do have many more on my computer. I have been working on organizing them so that I can put more of them here. If there is something you may have seen cut and can't find it, feel free to give a shout out and I'll see if I can help you find it.

You did an awesome job on that pattern. And donating them to animal rescue folks is a wonderful gesture. Good on you Pard.

A young southern boy in math class. No Teacher! Pie are round. Cornbread are square.

These are the kinds of gifts people cherish. Well done Sir.

Stunning!

Yes Dave. I scaled it to approx. 11" and cut it in a 2 stack out of 1/8" BB. Then stained the sections different. Not sure where I found the drawing but had to work on it a bit to make it stronger on a few branches. I had thought to try and inlay it but got lazy and took the easy way out. LOL

Smart folks here!

Some of my patterns have some extremely long cuts in them. That will throw off the average cuts per blade. I tend to believe that heat is the major cause of blades losing their set and temper. As mentioned previously, the hardness of material, thickness including layer cutting, and speed all have something to do with blade life. But buying blades by the gross brings the cost way down and so I don't even worry about this anymore. When I can no longer feather the cuts, smoothing out the beginning to the end of the cut, I chuck it and put in a new one. This Yin Yang Tree cut in a two stack of 1/8" Baltic Birch, was one long cut, so to not heat up the blade I ran a slower speed and took it slow on all the tight turns.

Might not go anywhere, but it may promote some thought.

Except that the black ring was a part of the whole piece. One pilot hole where the black, red and white come together.

Awesome workmanship.

I used those "PGT" blades for many years while we had our year round craft business. I still marvel how smooth a cut you get with a #9 PGT blade on 3/4" Pine or Aspen. Almost no sanding needed, and for that sort of work we did, cutting fretwork into small shelves and such, they lasted quite well.

I often hear folks talking about how many cuts they can get out of each blade. Of course we all have opinions concerning that. I bit too and tried to figure out approximately how many holes I could cut out of each blade. And then it hit my wee brain. To illustrate this better, let me ask, "How many pilot holes are in this project?"

Awesome job all around.

We are in good company then.

I am happy to see that I still do this all wrong.

No, you are not the oddball. I see these methods being touted all the time and since I have been scrolling for, well let's just say a couple of years, and although I tried those methods, I find no appreciable difference, and essentially save steps and money simply using a repositioning adhesive to affix my patterns to the project. I do lightly sand the top piece though which helps the adhesive to better bond. I am not simply a sceptic either. Whenever I see a new method or idea, I do give it a fair test to see if it works. I did that and found it to be a complete waste of my time and money. As to lubricating the blades as some say, I find the opposite. I do use blue painter's tape on the edges when stack sawing to hold the pieces together, and when I hit some of that tape, I notice it being harder/slower to cut. Slower means friction to me and what dulls blades in my opinion is heat. But, as I will always say, people should do whatever works for them. And I will never say that this way or that is best. What's best is what works for each person. I am sure some will disagree, and that of course is the way of the world. Regardless, enjoy the journey.

Thanks Barb. Now I'll be thinking about that all day. LOL

Now and again any blade manufacturer will have some problems with tempering blades. But this doesn't sound to be the case here. There are many reasons for a blade dulling quickly, but it basically all comes down to heat. Hard or pitchy woods with too small a blade or running your saw at too high a speed will produce friction, thus heat and a loss of tempering. Pushing too hard will do the same thing. The idea is to let the blade do the work, and if it is too slow for your tastes, find a different blade perhaps. I cut 4 stacks in most things using 1/8" Baltic Birch, and my go to blades are FD Ultra Reverse # 1. 3 and 5. For example, cutting ornaments with a dozen or so holes, I can do 3 or 4 ornaments with each blade. The blades are dull to me when I can't "feather the edges" to line up the beginning with the end of a cut. White the blade still cuts, the set iss gone and therefore I chuck it. Some folks try to save blades and keep using them beyond what I do. But when blades are purchased by the gross, the cost per blade is less than 25 cents each. There are many suggestions on this thread and hopefully one if us mentioned something that will help you. Good luck, and remember, what I or anyone else does is only offered as a possibility. What you end up deciding for yourself is best....for you. And that comes with a bit of trial and error.

Great job on that for sure. Love it. I have that image, from a movie poster and was about halfway through making it into a viable scrollsaw pattern. Looks like someone beat me to it. LOL